Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics . Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned.
113-403: Yes Minister is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn . Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, Yes, Prime Minister , ran for 16 episodes from 1986 to 1988. All but one of the episodes lasted half an hour, and almost all ended with a variation of the title of the series spoken as the answer to
226-639: A Third ), for which he is often derided by the Oxford-educated Sir Humphrey (who attended "Baillie College", a thinly-veiled reference to the real Balliol College , graduating with a First in Classics). His early character is that of a gung-ho, but naïve, politician, bringing sweeping changes to his department. Before long, Hacker begins to notice that Civil Service tactics are preventing his planned changes being put into practice. As he learns, he becomes more sly and cynical, using some of
339-399: A Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One and A Witch Trial at Mount Holly . Cartoons continued to provide commentary on American politics. In the late 1800s, editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast employed political satire to tackle issues like corruption. Amongst other notable political satirists is well-known author Mark Twain , who used satire to criticize and comment on slavery. In
452-542: A comic effect to the drama albeit occasionally playing a decisive part in determining which adversary triumphs ultimately. Initially, he naively sees his job as the disinterested implementation of the Minister's policies, but he gradually finds that this conflicts with his institutional duty to the department, and sometimes (since Sir Humphrey is responsible for formally assessing Woolley's performance) his own potential career development. Consequently, another recurring scenario
565-486: A concerned Eddington that these speeches were the reason why Hawthorne won a BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance four times in a row, while Eddington, though nominated, did not win at all. Loquacious and verbose, he frequently uses both his mastery of the English language and his grasp of Latin and Greek grammar both to perplex his political master and to obscure the relevant issues. In a Radio Times interview to promote
678-523: A courageous one will lose the election", and thus to hinder the implementation of a particular policy. Sir Humphrey, on the other hand, believes that from the Civil Service's perspective "it makes very little difference who the Minister is". The character of Bernard Woolley is characterised by a significant degree of ambivalence; largely playing the role of an observer of the cold conflict between Hacker and Sir Humphrey, mostly interjecting only to add
791-587: A form of alternative journalism . Utilizing satire has shown to be an attractive feature in news programming, drawing in the audiences of less politically engaged demographic cohorts. Moreover, satire news programming can be considered alternative because satire plays an important role in dissecting and critiquing power. In his article The Daily Show: Discursive Integration and the Reinvention of Political Journalism , Baym detailed how The Daily Show , then hosted by Jon Stewart , presented news stories. For
904-482: A hospital with 500 administrative staff but no doctors, nurses or patients. Lynn recalls that "after inventing this absurdity, we discovered there were six such hospitals (or very large empty wings of hospitals) exactly as we had described them in our episode." In a programme screened by the BBC in early 2004, paying tribute to the series, it was revealed that Jay and Lynn had drawn on information provided by two insiders from
1017-542: A man of power, and he's begun to confound those who thought they'd be able to manipulate him out of hand." Sir Humphrey Appleby ( Nigel Hawthorne ) serves throughout the series as permanent secretary under his minister, Jim Hacker at the Department of Administrative Affairs. He is appointed Cabinet Secretary just as Hacker's party enters a leadership crisis, and is instrumental in Hacker's elevation to Prime Minister. He
1130-528: A political movement", and claimed that Yes Minister is indicative of a larger movement of criticism of government and bureaucracy, centred upon public choice economics. Jay himself supported this: The fallacy that public choice economics took on was the fallacy that government is working entirely for the benefit of the citizen; and this was reflected by showing that in any [episode] in the programme, in Yes Minister , we showed that almost everything that
1243-401: A political nature evokes negative emotions which consequently mobilizes political participation. It is documented that watching late-night comedy shows increases political participation due to the interpersonal discussions and online interaction that follows as a result of political satire. On the other hand, some scholars have expressed concern over the influence of political comedy shows, it
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#17327722008341356-599: A question posed by Minister (later, Prime Minister) Jim Hacker . Several episodes were adapted for BBC Radio ; the series also spawned a 2010 stage play that led to a new television series on Gold in 2013. Set principally in the private office of a British cabinet minister in the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs in Whitehall , Yes Minister follows the ministerial career of Jim Hacker, played by Paul Eddington . His various struggles to formulate and enact policy or affect departmental changes are opposed by
1469-630: A right-wing news pundit. Both hosts' television programs were broadcast on Comedy Central . The Daily Show continues to run with Stewart as the Monday host, and featured Trevor Noah as the host from 2015–2022; Colbert became the host of The Late Show , succeeding David Letterman . With their shows, Stewart and Colbert helped increase public and academic discussion of the significance of political satire. Real Time with Bill Maher , Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver are also examples of satirical news shows. During
1582-439: A second episode script (and a third script), after having read the pilot script, before committing to the series. When casting the role of Bernard, Jonathan Lynn met Derek Fowlds at a dinner, and subsequently offered him the role. The first series featured Frank Weisel, Hacker's political advisor (played by Neil Fitzwiliam in the television series, and later by Bill Nighy in the radio series). The first syllable of his surname
1695-424: A tendency to launch into ludicrous Churchillian speeches. Bernard is prone to linguistic pedantry. All characters are able to switch to a completely opposite opinion in seconds when convenient. Nigel Hawthorne had worked with Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn before, and he and Paul Eddington claimed they immediately recognised the quality of writing of the series, but Jay and Lynn said that both actors asked for
1808-577: A time. The sequence ended with the title of the episode superimposed on a facsimile of an edition of the House of Commons Weekly Information Bulletin. Curiously, the legend Compiled in the Public Information Office of the House of Commons Library was left in the sequence. Scarfe created a second set of graphics for Yes, Prime Minister , including a different title card for each episode. Derek Fowlds wanted to buy an original drawing but
1921-456: A topic. Baym proposes that as these shows are alternative , they have no obligation to "abide by standard practices". Unlike traditional news sources, which may be required to adhere to certain agendas, like political affiliation or advertising restrictions, hosts of satire news shows are free and zealous to showcase personal contributions through their mentions of disdain, qualms, and excitement. Critics of satire in news shows thus believe that
2034-582: A wooded area believed to be inhabited by badgers . Sir Humphrey falsely assures her there have not been badgers in the woods for some years. Sir Humphrey often discusses matters with other Permanent Secretaries, who appear similarly sardonic and jaded, and the Cabinet Secretary (whom he eventually succeeds in Yes, Prime Minister ), Sir Arnold Robinson ( John Nettleton ), an archetype of cynicism, haughtiness and conspiratorial expertise. Sir Frank Gordon ,
2147-469: Is Bassem Youssef . In Syria, in the year 2001 a satirical newspaper known as the Lamplighter was first published and resonated with the public as it sold out immediately. It was the first independent paper in the country since 1965 and was created by cartoonist and satirist Ali Farzat . A 2002 example of censorship resulted in satirist Ali Farzat having to remove two articles and a cartoon about
2260-509: Is Bernard's success in performing this balancing act, that after the third series, following Sir Humphrey's promotion to Cabinet Secretary , when Hacker becomes Prime Minister he requests that Bernard continue as his Principal Private Secretary, reasserting the perception that he is a "high flier". Sir Humphrey's personal characteristics include his complicated sentences, his cynical views of government, and his snobbery and superciliousness. Hacker's attributes include occasional indecisiveness, and
2373-452: Is a fake news segment on the show that satirizes politics and current events. It has been a part of SNL since the first episode of the show on October 11, 1975. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report use stylistic formats that are similar to Weekend Update . On The Daily Show , host Jon Stewart used footage from news programs to satirize politics and the news media. Stephen Colbert performed in character on The Colbert Report as
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#17327722008342486-668: Is a poem by Dante Alighieri called Divine Comedy ( c. 1308 –1320). In this piece, Dante suggests that politicians of that time in Florence should travel to hell. Another well-known form of political satire through theater is William Shakespeare 's play Richard II , which criticized politics and authority figures of the time. One example is Maurice Joly 's 1864 pamphlet entitled The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu ( Dialogue aux enfers entre Machiavel et Montesquieu ), which attacks
2599-477: Is advised on the effects of his clothes and surroundings. The episode " A Conflict of Interest " humorously lampoons the various political stances of Britain's newspapers through their readers (although this material was not original): Sir Humphrey: The only way to understand the Press is to remember that they pander to their readers' prejudices. Hacker: Don't tell me about the press. I know exactly who reads
2712-424: Is argued that rather than increase political participation it has the adverse effect. Rather than mobilize participation it can actually demobilize participation due to the negative analysis of political figures, leading to cynicism towards the government and electoral system. Research has shown that voter attitude shifts positively in relation to political figures who find humor in their ridicule. This has to do with
2825-515: Is certainly rooted in the very nature of Greek religion, and there is no doubt that this attitude contributed to the gradual undermining of the old belief in the gods. [...] To tell immoral and scandalous stories about the gods did not offend average religious feeling; it troubled only advanced spirits like Xenophanes and Pintar [...] and it is clear that people no longer believed either in the story or in Zeus. Satire and derision progressively attacked even
2938-585: Is committed to maintaining the status quo for the country in general and for the Civil Service in particular. Sir Humphrey is a master of obfuscation and manipulation , baffling his opponents with long-winded technical jargon and circumlocutions , strategically appointing allies to supposedly impartial boards, and setting up interdepartmental committees to smother his minister's proposals in red tape . However, although presenting an outward appearance of supreme confidence and competence, Sir Humphrey
3051-546: Is in power. Even there, Humphrey does not reveal which party Jim Hacker represents. Despite this, the overall thrust was towards government reduction rather than expansion. The episode " Jobs for the Boys ", for example, rejected corporatism . Throughout the period of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister the incumbent government of the United Kingdom was Conservative with the government led by Margaret Thatcher (although
3164-482: Is largely based on the Westminster Quarters : the chimes of Big Ben . When asked in an interview about its Westminster influence, Hazlehurst replied, "That's all it is. It's the easiest thing I've ever done." The theme has a strong similarity to that of To The Manor Born , which was also composed by Hazlehurst around the same time. A substantially different set of titles and music were produced for
3277-473: Is more common than overt satire in ancient literature of political liberalism . Historically, public opinion in the Athenian democracy was remarkably influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theatres . Watching or reading satire has since ancient times been considered one of the best ways to understand a culture and a society. During the 20th and 21st centuries, satire
3390-529: Is not immune to making miscalculations or outright blunders. When such blunders occur, he relies on the Civil Service bureaucracy to save him. In Britain's Best Sitcom , Stephen Fry comments that "we love the idea of the coherence and articulacy of Sir Humphrey ... it's one of the things you look forward to in an episode of Yes Minister ... when's the big speech going to happen? And can I see if he's reading it from an idiot board ... he's really learned it, and it's superb." Derek Fowlds posited to
3503-475: Is one where Bernard must "walk the tightrope" — that is, balance his two conflicting duties by resorting to elaborate verbosity (much like Sir Humphrey) so that he can avoid the appearance of being disloyal to one, in favour of the other. For example, in " The Skeleton in the Cupboard ", he sees the importance of notifying Sir Humphrey that Hacker has left his office, whilst still assisting Hacker in his aims. Such
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3616-783: Is personally responsible to Hacker, in practice it is Sir Humphrey who writes his performance reviews and influences his Civil Service career. He usually handles these situations well, and maintains his reputation in the Civil Service as a "high flier" as opposed to a "low flier supported by occasional gusts of wind." Woolley is always quick to point out the physical impossibilities of Sir Humphrey's or Hacker's mixed metaphors , with almost obsessive pedantry . He can occasionally appear rather childlike, by making animal noises and gestures or by acting out how such an analogy cannot work, which sometimes annoys his Minister. Woolley tends to side with Hacker when new policies are announced, because they seem radical or democratic, only for Sir Humphrey to point out
3729-409: Is pronounced "Wise", but Sir Humphrey and Bernard persistently call him "Weasel". Weisel does not appear after the first series, following his acceptance of a position on a quango (Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation) tasked with investigating the appointment of other quangos, the government's honours system, and "jobs for the boys". The character was dropped because Jay and Lynn thought that
3842-460: Is shown at the declaration of his constituency result wearing a white rosette , with other candidates sporting the red and blue rosettes associated with the two leading British parties. The one exception to this neutrality occurs very briefly in " The National Education Service ", when Sir Humphrey explains to Bernard how the policy of comprehensive education is retained through successive governments, using different arguments according to which party
3955-440: Is shown occasionally throughout the series. His wife Annie ( Diana Hoddinott ) is generally supportive, but is sometimes frustrated by the disruptions caused by her husband's political career and is at times somewhat cynical about her husband's politics. In one episode, his sociology student daughter, Lucy ( Gerry Cowper ), becomes an environmental activist, campaigning against the department's intention to remove protected status from
4068-441: Is somewhat idealistic. Nevertheless, Faina argues that the potential still exists. Not to mention, with the rise in technology and the growing ubiquity of cellular phones, it can be argued that civic participation is all the more easy to accomplish. Modern studies of the effects of political satire have shown that political satire has an influence on political participation, in fact research has shown that an exposure to satire of
4181-461: Is white. The Prime Minister offers Hacker the position of Minister of Administrative Affairs, which he accepts. Hacker goes to his department and meets his Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby , and Principal Private Secretary, Bernard Woolley . While Appleby is outwardly deferential towards the new minister, he is prepared to defend the status quo at all costs. Hacker and his party's policies of reducing bureaucracy are diametrically opposed to
4294-697: The 2020 presidential campaign , perennial candidate Vermin Supreme was recruited by members of the Libertarian Party to run a serious presidential campaign ( Vermin Supreme 2020 presidential campaign ) which utilizes his satirical character to promote libertarianism . As early as the Ottoman Empire , political satire was used to express political dissent and mobilize public opinion through shadow puppet shows, improvised folk theater and cartoons. The Ottoman Empire's first satirical magazine
4407-469: The Montana Logging and Ballet Co. , and public television and live performer Mark Russell who made satirist comments to both democrats and republicans alike. Additional subgenres include such literary classics as Gulliver's Travels and Animal Farm , and more recently, the digital online magazine and website sources such as The Onion . An early and well-known piece of political satire
4520-698: The Timothy Evans case to wonder about an "inverted alchemy" operating in Whitehall, capable of frustrating the most impassioned campaigner. The writers also met several leading senior civil servants under the auspices of the Royal Institute of Public Administration , a think-tank for the public service sector, which led to the development of some plot lines. Some situations were conceived as fiction, but were later revealed to have real-life counterparts. The episode " The Compassionate Society " depicts
4633-571: The press and stern lectures from the Chief Whip . However, he is also shown to be relatively politically savvy, and he slowly becomes more aware of Sir Humphrey's real agenda. In Yes, Prime Minister, Hacker becomes more statesmanlike. He practises more grandiose speeches, dreams up his "Grand Design" and hones his diplomatic skills. Nearly all of these efforts land him in trouble. In a Radio Times interview to promote Yes, Prime Minister , Paul Eddington stated, "He's beginning to find his feet as
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4746-438: The status quo is upheld as a matter of principle. But with the status quo notably including the prestige, power and influence of the Civil Service, Sir Humphrey attempts to block any move that seeks either to prevent the further expansion of the civil service or to reduce the complexity of its bureaucracy. Much of the show's humour thus derives from the antagonism between Cabinet ministers (who believe they are in charge) and
4859-528: The 18th and 19th centuries editorial cartoons developed as graphic form of satire, with dedicated satirical magazines such as Punch (launched 1841) appearing in the first half of the 19th century. A local satirical newspaper, The Town Crier , launched in Birmingham in 1861, has been described as setting out, through humour, to compare "municipal government as it was – in incompetent hands – with municipal government as it might be". The early 1960s saw
4972-455: The 1930's, political satire dominated Broadway . Lyricist Irving Berlin and playwright Moss Hart co-wrote the popular musical As Thousands Cheer . The Broadway show poked fun at politics by referencing topical news articles. Satire became more visible on American television during the 1960s. Some of the early shows that used political satire include the British and American versions of
5085-607: The BBC in 1989), thanks "Sir Bernard Woolley, GCB " for his help and confirms that he did indeed make it to the position of Head of the Civil Service. The series featured a cast of recurring characters. Meanwhile, Sir Humphrey's Civil Service colleagues were also regularly featured. They included: Hacker's family: Others: Lynn joined the Cambridge Union in his first year at the University of Cambridge because he thought that he might like to enter politics. "All of
5198-504: The British Civil Service , in particular his Permanent Secretary , Sir Humphrey Appleby , played by Nigel Hawthorne . His Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley , played by Derek Fowlds , is usually caught between the two. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister , continued with the same cast and followed Hacker after his unexpected elevation to prime ministerial office. The series received several BAFTAs and in 2004
5311-421: The Civil Service ruses himself. While Sir Humphrey initially held all the aces, Hacker now and again plays a trump card of his own and thus scores the occasional victory over Sir Humphrey. Throughout Yes Minister, Hacker, at his worst, is portrayed as a publicity-seeking bungler who is incapable of making a firm decision. He is prone to potentially embarrassing blunders, and is a frequent target of criticism from
5424-499: The Civil Service's interests, in which staff numbers and budgets are viewed as merits of success (i.e. the more funding or staffing a department gets, the more successful it is considered). Woolley is sympathetic towards Hacker but as Appleby reminds him, Woolley's civil service superiors, including Appleby, will have much to say about the course of his future career, while ministers do not usually stay long in one department and have no say in civil service staffing recommendations. Many of
5537-497: The King into a pear over the course of the drawings. The people of France began to recognize that King Louis-Philippe really did look like a pear and could not separate the two. People began to sarcastically state that pears should be banned in the country as cutting one would be a threat towards the King, Louis-Philippe. According to Santayana , German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was actually "a keen satirist". "Nietzsche's satire"
5650-678: The Opposition benches before his party won a general election, including serving as the Shadow Secretary for Agriculture. In Yes Minister , he is the Minister for Administrative Affairs (a fictitious ministry of the British government) and a cabinet minister, and in Yes, Prime Minister he becomes the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . Hacker received his degree from the London School of Economics (graduating with
5763-580: The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, is a friend and often a rival as they jostle for supremacy within the civil service. The fairly counter-intuitive view of government administration displayed by Sir Humphrey is completely taken for granted by the Civil Service. Political satire Political satire is usually distinguished from political protest or political dissent , as it does not necessarily carry an agenda nor seek to influence
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#17327722008345876-573: The Prime Minister from a magazine, which was deemed insulting. Farzat's newspaper was subsequently shut down and his printing license was revoked. According to the findings of the 2004 Pew Survey , both younger and older audiences are turning to late-night comedy shows as not only a source of entertainment, but also for an opportunity to gain political awareness. For this reason, Geoffrey Baym suggests that shows that make use of political satire, such as The Daily Show , should be considered as
5989-490: The Prime Minister) he must act as a loyal and effective party member. Sir Humphrey, on the other hand, genuinely believes that the Civil Service, being politically impartial, has the most realistic idea of what "good governance" means, and therefore knows what is best for the country – a belief shared by his bureaucratic colleagues. Hacker sees the job of government as one of "doing good", or more specifically reforming
6102-661: The United Kingdom include people such as Peter Brookes who has been a political cartoonist for The Times since 1992 and Nicola Jennings who features regularly in The Guardian . Comedian Tom Walker is famous for playing a political correspondent under the name of " Jonathan Pie " Street artists like Banksy have used dark political humor and witty political and social commentaries, primarily through graffiti , to comment on various themes such as capitalism, imperialism and war. Banksy's pieces which feature street art on political satire include "Stop and Search" which illustrates
6215-475: The United States than the United Kingdom, as commentators who are both Liberal and Conservative are being used more often as the "main way" in which young viewers learn about current affairs. This is particularly troublesome when commentators use polemic and sarcasm in their satire as opposed to witty humour or impersonations. The fact that the gods could be brought down to a human or 'far too human' level
6328-700: The Wall" ) and a Committee room (" A Question of Loyalty "). The fictional Department of Administrative Affairs is the focus of the series. In "The Skeleton in the Cupboard", Woolley mentions that the DAA was founded in 1964 alongside the Department of Economic Affairs (the chief inspiration for the DAA). In "Open Government", the Department was referred to as a 'political graveyard', with Hacker's appointment as Minister of Administrative Affairs likely being punishment for managing
6441-414: The administration of other government departments, government archives, the purchase of office equipment and the enactment of EEC directives, it serves as a vehicle to explore different political themes, such as foreign policy, education, the environment, health, defence, Europe , international trade, local government, and national security. In "The Death List", the DAA is mentioned as being responsible for
6554-469: The arrangements of the rooms were altered, and the views from the windows were never shown, to conceal the layout of the buildings. The opening titles were drawn by artist and cartoonist Gerald Scarfe , who provided distinctive caricatures of Eddington, Hawthorne and Fowlds in their respective roles to represent distortion. He animated them as 'self-drawing' by positioning the camera above his paper, adding parts of lines, and then photographing two frames at
6667-525: The case for cynical despotism . In this manner, Joly communicated the secret ways in which liberalism might spawn a despot like Napoleon III. The literacy rate in France was roughly 30 percent in the 19th century making it virtually impossible for people of lower classes to engage in political satire. However, visual arts could be interpreted by anyone, and a man named Charles Philipon took advantage creating two weekly magazines, La Caricature and Le Charivari –
6780-426: The centre of the political spectrum, and were careful to identify his party headquarters as "Central House" (a combination of Conservative Central Office and Labour's Transport House ). The terms " Labour " and " Conservative " are scrupulously avoided throughout the series, favouring terms such as "the party" or "the government" and "the opposition". In the first scene of the first episode, " Open Government ", Hacker
6893-410: The character Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz being searched by a police officer. Banksy mocks politicians opinions on police brutality as innocent Dorothy is being questioned by the police which is a representation of police brutality. "Bomb Hugger" is another one of Banksy's pieces which displays a young woman hugging a bomb which was dropped by military planes. He criticizes the nature of war and
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#17327722008347006-410: The characters are frequently contrasted. Whilst Hacker occasionally approaches an issue from a sense of idealism and a desire to be seen to improve things, he ultimately sees his re-election and elevation to higher office as the key measures of his success. Accordingly, he must appear to the voters to be effective and responsive to the public will. To his party (and, in the first incarnation of the series,
7119-530: The cheaper of the two. Philipon used his papers, which had become more and more popular across France, as a threat to the King, Louis-Philippe, as the papers used satire and humor to criticize the government and King. Several attempts to suppress the two magazines were made by the monarchy which would only make the articles more critical. Philipon was eventually taken to court and sentenced to 13 months in prison following several more arrests. The drawings that originally sent Philipon to court were drawings that turned
7232-544: The closure of their department or dealing with a diplomatic incident. As the series revolves around the inner workings of central government, most of the scenes take place in private locations, such as offices and exclusive members' clubs. Lynn said that "there was not a single scene set in the House of Commons because government does not take place in the House of Commons. Some politics and much theatre takes place there. Government happens in private. As in all public performances,
7345-496: The comical possibilities present in government and bureaucracy and that they were not seeking to promote any agenda: "Our only firm belief on the subject was that the underlying conflicts between ministers and ministries were better brought out into the open than kept secret". The writers were inspired by a variety of sources, including sources inside government, published material and contemporary news stories. Jay has written that as early as 1965, he had been induced by developments in
7458-447: The country according to his own party's policies: which, more often than not, means the initiation of departmental reforms and economies, a reduction of the level of bureaucracy and reduction of staff numbers in the Civil Service. To do so, or to at least look as if he is doing so, is what he considers to be a vote-winner. Conversely, Sir Humphrey sees his role as ensuring that politics is kept out of government as much as possible and that
7571-405: The country ought to be run by another country ; and The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is . Sir Humphrey: Prime Minister, what about the people who read The Sun ? Bernard: Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she's got big tits . Adam Curtis , in his three-part TV documentary The Trap , criticised the series as "ideological propaganda for
7684-560: The dialogue. After we wrote the episode, we would show it to some secret sources, always including somebody who was an expert on the subject in question. They would usually give us extra information which, because it was true, was usually funnier than anything we might have thought up." Designers Valerie Warrender and Gloria Clayton were given access to the Cabinet Rooms and the State Drawing Rooms. For security purposes,
7797-529: The disadvantages to the status quo and the civil service in particular. To sway Bernard, Sir Humphrey uses phrases such as "barbarism" and "the beginning of the end". At times when Sir Humphrey fails to get his way, Woolley can be seen smiling smugly at him over his defeat. As Hacker awaits confirmation of his elevation to Prime Minister, he asks Woolley to join him in Downing Street as his principal private secretary, which Sir Humphrey endorses, thus keeping
7910-430: The episodes revolve around proposals backed by Hacker but frustrated by Appleby, who uses a range of clever stratagems to defeat ministerial proposals while seeming to support them. Other episodes revolve around proposals promoted by Appleby but rejected by Hacker, which Appleby attempts by all means necessary to persuade Hacker to accept. They do occasionally join forces in order to achieve a common goal, such as preventing
8023-473: The feeling of relating to politicians, who allow themselves to be seen as the comedians joke. Political satire may also be used to cover a presidential aspect that America has a problem with. Joe Biden utilized humor in his campaign for presidency as he joked about the concern of his age. Though satire in news is celebrated as a vehicle toward a more informed public, such view is not universally shared among scholars. Critics have expressed their hesitancy toward
8136-440: The flaws of the critiqued subject. This can be very harmful to the reputation of public figures or organizations since the satire frames them in a comical way. Satire can be traced back throughout history; wherever organized government , or social categories have existed, so has satire. The oldest example that has survived until today is Aristophanes . In his time, satire targeted top politicians, like Cleon, and religion, at
8249-410: The fundamental and most sacred facts of faith, above all faith in the gods' power, and it was from this that doubt began to grow. The power of the gods, whose dignity and stringth were impressively reflected in most of the tragedies, however different the religious attitudes of the tragic poets were, this same power was on the same festival days belittled and questioned by the comic poets who made fun of
8362-408: The general population. Meanwhile, Joseph Faina has considered the satire used in news shows as a facilitator in developing a public journalism practice. Faina explains in his article that the nature of satire encourages viewers to become politically engaged, and a civic participant , in which the humor exercised by hosts elicit responses in viewers. However, Faina has acknowledged that this model
8475-487: The gods and represented traditional and sacred forms in a starling manner. The Compassionate Society Thirty-eight episodes of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister were made in total, running from 1980 to 1988. A one-hour special aired in 1984; all other episodes were a half-hour in length. The dates listed below are when a particular episode was first transmitted on BBC2 . A two-minute Christmas-themed sketch, featuring only Eddington, Hawthorne and Fowlds,
8588-463: The government has to decide is a conflict between two lots of private interest – that of the politicians and that of the civil servants trying to advance their own careers and improve their own lives. And that's why public choice economics, which explains why all this was going on, was at the root of almost every episode of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister . Jay, however, has elsewhere emphasized that he and Lynn were interested first and foremost in
8701-479: The government's surveillance equipment. The DAA has gained other responsibilities through departmental reshuffles, namely the arts (albeit to prevent Hacker from closing down an art gallery in his constituency to save a local football team from bankruptcy). The DAA has also been given responsibility for enacting policies or programmes which no other department would want to deal with due to their unpopularity or any other fallout, such as in " The Bed of Nails " when Hacker
8814-551: The governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan , namely Marcia Falkender and Bernard Donoughue . The published diaries of Richard Crossman also provided inspiration. In particular the first of these describe his battles with "the Dame", his Permanent Secretary, the formidable Baroness Sharp , the first woman in Britain to hold the position. The episode entitled " The Moral Dimension ", in which Hacker and his staff engage in
8927-400: The infiltration of lighthearted practices to cover more dire topics like political affair. Potentially off-color remarks, or vulgar comments made by the likes of Stephen Colbert of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , or Samantha Bee , host of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee , can be used as examples of what critics are concerned about. Here, satire is believed to diminish the gravity of
9040-636: The interjection of a character concerned with party political matters distracted from the focus on the tension between the government and the civil service. The first series of Yes, Prime Minister introduced Dorothy Wainwright (played by Deborah Norton ) as a highly able special political advisor to the Prime Minister. Her experience and insight into many civil service tricks ensure a lasting mutual distrust between her and Sir Humphrey and provide an invaluable second opinion for Hacker. Sir Humphrey frequently annoys Dorothy by addressing her as "dear lady" whereas she occasionally calls him "Humpy". Hacker's home life
9153-504: The leadership campaign against the new Prime Minister. In "Big Brother", Hacker reaches out to his predecessor in the previous government Tom Sargant, for help to overcome Civil Service resistance to the introduction of safeguards for the National Integrated Database, to which Sargent outlined the Civil Service's five step stalling technique and reveals the existence of a White Paper. Being responsible for overseeing
9266-553: The main debaters there, aged 20, were the most pompous, self-satisfied, self-important bunch of clowns that I've ever clapped eyes on. They were all behaving as if they were on the government front bench, and 20 years later they all were: Michael Howard ; John Selwyn Gummer ; Kenneth Clarke . I thought at that point that the only way that I could ever contribute to politics is making fun of the politicians." The series, then, intended to satirise politics and government in general, rather than any specific party. The writers placed Hacker at
9379-598: The members of the British Civil Service (who believe they really run the country). A typical episode centres on Hacker's suggesting and pursuing a reform and Sir Humphrey's blocking of all Hacker's lines of approach. More often than not, Sir Humphrey prevents him from achieving his goal while mollifying Hacker with some positive publicity, or at least a means to cover up his failure. Occasionally, however, Hacker does get his way, often by thwarting other arrangements or deals that Sir Humphrey has been making behind
9492-499: The most popular forms of media in Germany at the time. The UK has a long tradition of political satire, dating from the early years of English literature. In some readings, a number of William Shakespeare 's plays can be seen – or at least performed – as satire, including Richard III and The Merchant of Venice . Later examples such as Jonathan Swift 's A Modest Proposal are more outright in their satirical nature. Through
9605-584: The opinions of politicians on the subject as the woman represents innocence being directly impacted by the "dark" bomb symbol. Political satire has played a role in American Politics since the 1700s. Under King George 's rule, the colonies used political cartoons to criticize the parliament and fight for independence. Founding father Benjamin Franklin was a notable political satirist. He employed satire in several essays, including Rules by Which
9718-662: The papers: the Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country; The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country; The Times is read by the people who actually do run the country; the Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country; the Financial Times is read by people who own the country; the Morning Star is read by people who think
9831-523: The pilot episode, " Open Government ", which were never broadcast but appear on the DVD release. The pilot opening and closing title caption cards feature drawings of most of the cast, but far less exaggerated than those of Scarfe, while the music by Max Harris is a more up-tempo piece for brass band . When the pilot was aired as part of series 1, these were replaced by the familiar Scarfe and Hazlehurst credits. The different ideals and self-interested motives of
9944-407: The pilot was produced before she came to power). Hacker's predecessor as Prime Minister was unseen and unnamed, but established as male. In a 2004 documentary, Armando Iannucci compared Yes Minister to George Orwell 's Nineteen Eighty-Four in how it has influenced the public's view of the state. Although Lynn comments that the word " spin " has "probably entered the political vocabulary since
10057-585: The political ambitions of Napoleon III . It was first published in Brussels in 1864. The piece used the literary device of a dialogue between two diabolical plotters in Hell , the historical characters of Machiavelli and Montesquieu , to cover up a direct, and illegal, attack on Napoleon's rule. The noble baron Montesquieu made the case for liberalism ; the Florentine political writer Machiavelli presented
10170-463: The political process. While occasionally it may, it more commonly aims simply to provide entertainment. By its very nature, it rarely offers a constructive view in itself; when it is used as part of protest or dissent, it tends to simply establish the error of matters rather than provide solutions. Because of the exaggerated manner of these parodies, satirical news shows can more effectively sway their audiences to believe specific ideas by overemphasizing
10283-577: The program That Was the Week That Was (airing on the American Broadcasting Company , or ABC, in the U.S.), CBS 's The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour , and NBC 's Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In . During the months leading up to the 1968 presidential election, Richard Nixon appeared on Laugh-In and repeated the program's catch-phrase "Sock it to me." Other forms of satire of the 1960s and early 1970s typically used
10396-528: The real work is done in rehearsal, behind closed doors. Then the public and the House are shown what the government wishes them to see." However, the episode " The Compassionate Society " does feature an audio recording of Yesterday in Parliament in which Hacker speaks in the House of Commons, and other episodes include scenes in the Foreign Secretary 's House of Commons office ( "The Writing on
10509-406: The satire news show, presenting information in a comprehensive manner was used to give viewers a greater perspective of a situation. Often, Stewart studded his segments with additional background information, or reminders of relevant and past details. For example, The Daily Show displayed the full video of Bush's comments regarding Tenet's resignation in 2004. This was a deliberate choice by
10622-445: The scenes elsewhere with other ministers or civil servants. In the case of the episodes " The Skeleton in the Cupboard " and " The Tangled Web ", Hacker manages to exploit embarrassing mistakes committed by Sir Humphrey; blackmailing him into adopting his stance. Sir Humphrey occasionally resorts to tactics such as calling a policy "courageous" to remind Hacker to contemplate the view that "a controversial policy will lose votes, whilst
10735-493: The scheme of secretly consuming alcohol on a trade mission to the fictional Islamic state of Qumran, was based on a real incident that took place in Pakistan, involving Callaghan and Donoughue, the latter of whom informed Jay and Lynn about the incident. Jay says that "I can't tell you where, I can't tell you when and I can't tell you who was involved; all I can tell you is that we knew that it had actually happened. That's why it
10848-421: The second series of Yes, Prime Minister , producer Sydney Lotterby said that he always tried to give Eddington and Hawthorne extra time to rehearse as their scenes invariably featured lengthy dialogue exchanges. Bernard Woolley, MA (Oxon) ( Derek Fowlds ) is Jim Hacker's Principal Private Secretary . His loyalties are often split between his Minister and his Civil Service boss, Sir Humphrey. Whilst in theory he
10961-440: The series," Iannucci suggests that the show "taught us how to unpick the verbal tricks that politicians think they can get away with in front of the cameras." The series depicted the media-consciousness of politicians, reflecting the public relations training they undergo to help them deal with interviews and reading from autocue effectively. This is particularly evident in the episode " The Ministerial Broadcast ", in which Hacker
11074-434: The show in attempt to give a more sincere representation of the event. Moreover, it can be seen as a challenge and critique of what more traditional news shows failed to include. In this way, satire news can be seen as more informative than other news sources. Notably, research findings released by National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES) concede that followers of satire news are more knowledgeable and consume more news than
11187-475: The show to satirize Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin . In addition to Fey's striking physical resemblance to Palin, the impersonation of the vice presidential candidate was also noteworthy because of Fey's humorous use of some of exactly the same words Palin used in media interviews and campaign speeches as a way to perform political satire. Saturday Night Live also uses political satire throughout its Weekend Update sketch. Weekend Update
11300-413: The showcasing of an overly and openly frustrated host will induce or perpetuate "cynicism in viewers". The Financial Times argues that political satire can contribute to "media led populism", this is argued to be due to the mockery of politicians and public officials that is required to be accountable only to "audience maximisation", it is argued that this form of media led populism is more prevalent in
11413-480: The sitcom format, such as the show All in the Family . When Saturday Night Live debuted in 1975, the show began to change the way that comedians would depict the president on television. Chevy Chase opened the fourth episode of the show with his impersonation of a bumbling Gerald Ford . Chase did not change his appearance to look like President Ford, and he portrayed the president by repeatedly falling down on
11526-655: The so-called " satire boom ", of which the most prominent products were the stage revue Beyond the Fringe (debuted 1960), the fortnightly magazine Private Eye (launched 1961) and the BBC TV show That Was the Week That Was (1962–1963). More recent examples have included topical television panel shows such as Have I Got News for You and Mock the Week , and television series such as Ballot Monkeys , The Mash Report and Spitting Image . Key political cartoonists in
11639-432: The stage. Some of the other famous presidential impersonations on Saturday Night Live include Dan Aykroyd 's Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter caricatures, Dana Carvey as George H. W. Bush , Darrell Hammond and Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton , Will Ferrell as George W. Bush , Jay Pharoah and Fred Armisen as Barack Obama . Hartman was the first in a long string of cast members to impersonate Donald Trump , who
11752-435: The time headed by Zeus. "Satire and derision progressively attacked even the fundamental and most sacred facts of faith," leading to an increased doubt towards religion by the general population. The Roman period, for example, gives us the satirical poems and epigrams of Martial . Cynic philosophers often engaged in political satire. Due to the lack of political freedom of speech in many ancient civilizations, covert satire
11865-609: The trio together. In a 2004 retrospective, Armando Iannucci commented that Fowlds had a difficult task because he had to "spend most of his time saying nothing but looking interested in everyone else's total and utter guff" but "his one line frequently had to be the funniest of the lot." Iannucci suggests that Woolley is essential to the structure of the show because both Hacker and Appleby confide in him, "which means we get to find out what they're plotting next." The editor's note to The Complete Yes Prime Minister (supposedly published in 2024 after Hacker's death but actually published by
11978-421: Was aimed at Lutheranism. Kladderadatsch and Simplicissimus were two sources of political satire in Germany during the 18-19 century, both of which show how satire can be used to see cultural history in societies. Popularity in press and satirical jokes flourished in the 19th century as thousands of new magazines emerged in Germany. Magazines and newspapers began to exceed the consumption of books and became one of
12091-548: Was called Karagöz , which translates to "Black eye." Turkey is home to the political satire magazine known as LeMan , which published its 1000th issue in 2010. LeMan is known for its political cartoons highlighting corruption, lampooning and shedding light on serious situations using humor. One of the most-widely read satirists is Egyptian writer Lenin El-Ramly , who is credited with over 30 scripts for films and television series and 12 plays. Another notable Egyptian satirist
12204-477: Was found in an increasing number of media (in cartoons such as political cartoons with heavy caricature and exaggeration and political magazines ) and the parallel exposure of political scandals to performances (including television shows). Examples include musicians such as Tom Lehrer incorporating lyrics which targeted the army and the church, live performance groups like the Capitol Steps and
12317-433: Was made Transport Supremo and given responsibility for an Integrated Transport programme as the Department of Transport did not want to incur the wroth of any disadvantaged sector. The Right Honourable Jim Hacker MP ( Paul Eddington ), eventually elevated to the House of Lords as Lord Hacker of Islington, was the editor of a newspaper called Reform before going into politics. He spent a good deal of time in Parliament on
12430-516: Was most famously impersonated by Darrell Hammond and Alec Baldwin , and currently James Austin Johnson impersonates him. Johnson also impersonates Joe Biden , who was also impersonated by Jason Sudeikis and Jim Carrey . Political elites like Hillary Clinton are also famously impersonated on Saturday Night Live . During the 2008 presidential campaign , Saturday Night Live gained wide attention because former cast member Tina Fey returned to
12543-405: Was so funny. We couldn't think up things as funny as the real things that had happened." Media historian Andrew Crisell suggests that the show was "enriched by the viewers' suspicion that what they were watching was unhealthily close to real life." Fusing inspiration and invention, Lynn and Jay worked on the story "for anything from three days to two weeks," and only took "four mornings to write all
12656-403: Was unable to afford it. The series' performance credits typically only featured those of the actors who appeared in the particular episode, not the names of characters. The typeface used in the credits is Plantin , a common typeface used in the British press at the time. The show title is set in bold condensed and the credits are in bold. The theme music was composed by Ronnie Hazlehurst and
12769-509: Was voted sixth in the Britain's Best Sitcom poll. It was the favourite television programme of Margaret Thatcher , the then-British prime minister. The series opens in the wake of a general election in which the incumbent government has been defeated by the opposition party, to which Jim Hacker MP belongs. His party affiliation is never stated, his party emblem is clearly neither Conservative nor Labour , and his party's political colour
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